Mother of Mississippi woman found hanging says daughter would not have taken her own life
Christy Spivey, mother of Tasia Fortune, who was discovered hanging from a tree in Jackson, Mississippi, asserts her daughter did not kill herself as authorities continue the investigation.
Christy Spivey told ABC News that her 29-year-old daughter, Tasia Fortune, was found hanging from a tree in Jackson on Aug. 3. Spivey said the death has devastated her family and described her daughter as “strong-minded, full of laughs and love, with faith in God.”
Spivey said she last saw Fortune on July 26 after the woman traveled from Mississippi to Kentucky for a family reunion. She recalled that Fortune seemed “better than I had seen her in a long time” and “at peace.”
"She did not do this to herself. I know my daughter and she did not do this to herself," Spivey said when asked if her daughter might have taken her own life.
A Jackson Police Department spokesperson confirmed that the Hinds County Coroner’s Office identified the victim and that the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. No further details on the investigation or persons of interest were provided.
Jackson City Council member Kenneth Stokes sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger requesting federal assistance in the case, noting the victim was initially described as an unidentified female found hanging behind an abandoned house on the Road of Remembrance. The U.S. Attorney’s office has not responded to requests for comment.
Police have asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS.